Merry Christmas From Our Family to Yours…

gingera

Gingerbread houses are a holiday tradition in Marketman’s home. If you want to know why, please read my first Christmas Eve message on this blog written in 2005. And check out the little town with shops scene we did that year. In 2006, we made a fairly elaborate winter village scene, which you can read about here. And 2006 was the year of a poignant gingerbread story and a young kid named David. And isn’t it wonderful how that “story” ended up, here. On the Eve of Christmas 2006, I wrote a post on why I still believe in “Santa” and probably always will. By December 2007, the Kid put together a fabulous Amsterdam inspired village in gingerbread, see it here. And the Marketman family took off to enjoy a white Christmas. That was the year that the marketmanila sponsored feeding programs raised funds through t-shirts and tote bags that eventually raised enough to feed some 20,000 meals for undernourished public school children. And this year, a similar fund raising effort has so far raised enough for 22,000 more meals! So you can see from these previous posts why gingerbread is something we enjoy in our household at this time of year…

gingerb

The 2008 Gingerbread House Edition is almost completely done by the Teen. It is much smaller than our normal gingerbread creations… a reflection of the times (more Manny Villar than Imeldific) and because the Teen wanted to make something that was manageable. She has worked with gingerbread since she was 1 year old, and we hope, will continue the tradition in her own household many years from now. But the house is still magical. A hilltop cabin topped with a thatched roof, lots of snow dripping off and an abundance of candy. It provides a stunningly warm and comforting aroma to our living room, which combined with a fresh pine tree, spells CHRISTMAS SEASON in capital letters. This blog is now more than 4 years old, and I feel a genuine warmth and camaraderie amongst many of its readers. I thank you for another year of sharing your wonderful recipes, thoughts, comments and visits, and even though only less than 5% of you have ever left a comment, I do get a thrill knowing that 95% of you are repeat lurkers… :) I encourage lurkers to leave a comment at least every once in a while, as the comments often add so much to the discussion. From our family to yours, we wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

gingerc

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

Marketman

Marketman is a well-traveled management consultant who loves buying, cooking and eating good food. Read more »

93 Responses

  2. dear dear renaissance man! you and family have a generous hearts. and you, young man, have brought much joy and pleasure (vicariously) to all the readers of your blog. God bless you and keep up all the interesting postings, we enjoy it so very much. (i was dreaming!!?? when i saw you served fresh diwal. where can it be bought! on past trips to Philippines I had always dreamt of eating diwal, but everyone said it was not available anymore) do tell where diwal can be gotten? happy new year.

  3. Maligayang Pasko to MM, Mrs. MM, The Teen, Your Crews, Sister, Marc Medina, special warm greetings to my kitchen fairy Godmother Bettyq – hotline source for baking and cooking rescue and to each and every one of my peers. Beautiful Gingerbread House and amazing how The Teen put it together by herself!

  5. MM, May The Good Lord continue to shower you and your family (and extended family) with all His wonderful blessings, so that you may continue to share His blessings with everyone you meet.

    From my family to yours, a very blessed Christmas. And may the coming year, be doubly exciting as the year that is about to past.

    And finally, My Christmas wish for you….That you will meet and host Chef Thomas Keller in 2009!!!!

  6. maayong pasko MM been years I have been reading your blog and still brings me so much joy… see I even read it between airport lay over, anchorages, passages…

    If I make it to the Himalayas next year I will do my best to find time to read your blog as well.
    Sha

  7. MM, you will always be blessed because you have given so much and continue to give in a grand fashion.

    I will wish for you what I wished for my friends in another forum, and I wish the same for all the Market Manila readers as well:

    May your Christmas eve dinner be boisterously happy, may your Christmas morning be dreamily late, may your family gathering be enjoyably riotous, and your post Christmas night be full of warm and vivid memories!

    Blessings now and always!

    Pancho A and Family

  8. Hi MM,

    Count me as one of the repeat lurkers saying hello! Merry Christmas to your family from ours (me + husband and 8 hand reared cockatiels)

    Marilen, I last had diwal 2-3 years ago and before that, when I was in my teens. It was unavailable, even rumored extinct for many many years, until my mom heard that they started farming it again in Sagay (Neg Occ) and some coastal towns around the area. I think there were big setbacks in farming when that oilspill in Bora happened and they might be only starting to thrive again. That’s my second-hand info :) haha not sure how accurate it is but there you go. Hope you get to source some! Last time I had them they were baked, and uber amazing.

  9. Maligayang Pasko MM, Mrs. MM, The Teen, Sister and The Crew! And to all Marketmanila fans! :)

    Thank you so much for all the posts you have shared with us. Looking forward to all the posts in 2009.

    More power to Marketmanila.com!

  11. God Always Bless YOU and your wonderful family, MM! And A very Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year to ALL MarketManila family!

  14. A Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to MM, Mrs. MM and the Teen! May you continue to touch and make a difference in the lives of the many people you reach through this blog.

    To the extended Market Manila family, Merry Christmas and a shower of blessings to you all in the coming year. It is good to feel a sense of belonging to such a wonderful and generous bunch of people who are connected only through this blog.

    Thank you MM for being such a wonderful host. God bless you!

  15. a luRker here! ‘am guiLty… ;P

    this blog site is so addicting that it kept me busy most of my spare time at the OFFICE… ssshhhhhh…. that’s our top secret! ;)

    and Oh! to MM, Mrs. MM, The Teen, Sister, The Crew and all the Readers of this site… Lets EAT & be MERRY this Holiday season!

    Prayers for all!

  16. Merry Christmas to you and your family MM and to the readers of this blog. Looking forward to another year of blogging =)

  18. merry christmas to you and your family, MM! Ü
    that gingerbread house looks great, by the way.. The Teen did a wonderful job!

  19. Happy Holidays to MM family and crew…Thank you for all the great posts/pictures, you’ve contributed so much to our lives!

    Merry Christmas to all the readers!

  21. Merry Christmas MM!! God will surely continue to bless you so you will continue to be a blessing to others.

  22. Hi, MM! Bravo! You got me to leave a comment today being a regular lurker of this site. Me and my hubby truly enjoy it. Here’s wishing you a Wonderful Christmas and a Peaceful New Year!

  27. You have an equally stunning gingerbread house this year. Great work by the Teen! Merry Christmas to you, your family and all the readers. I hope for more interesting posts next year!

  28. MM, your gingerbread houses are just beautiful. i dont want to imagine how time-consuming and difficult to make one. just out of curiosity, what do you do with them after the holidays? how much is your 2008 edition? just a general idea. :)

  29. Hello MM

    Just briefly – A very Happy Xmas to you and your family. A heart-felt thank you for all your tremendous work in maintaining a Blog that is always fascinating, thought provoking and often up-lifting. To all the readers, like myself, I wish you every health and happiness for 2009.

  35. Hi MM,

    Was it really 2 years ago? I have “clippped” a screen shoot of those articles to show my son “David” when he grows up that somewhere out there is a kind soul who have touched our lives through a “gingerbread house”. Thank you very, very much MM!

    My son is with me now in the Middle East and he has been doing great. By God’s grace all his monitoring tests came out clean last week. It would trully be a merry chistmas for my family.

    Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas and good health and happiness for the New Year!

  36. A beautiful and blessed season to you and your family, Marketman! After all the good you’ve done this year, I hope that Santa rewards you with an unforgettable Christmas. :-)

  39. Hi MM – may you and your family (and sister, crew and readers) be blessed with warmth, happiness and joy this Christmas season. Here’s to a delicious and prosperous new 2009!

  42. a Blessed Christmas and a Spirit filled New Year to you and your family! Thanks again for sharing this wonderful ginger bread house. Kudos to the Teen for her wonderful designs…

  44. We started a gingerbread house tradition when my daughter was two years old. We start on the first weekend of December and it makes her so happy because she knows that gingerbread house = Christmas = Santa. Christmas in the eyes of a child is so beautiful.

    Merry Christmas to all!!

  45. Merry xmas Mr. MM… this house reminds me of the biggest ginger bread house I’ve ever seen in ayala cebu by Marriot hotel.. ^___^

    Merry xmas again

  48. Merry Xmas MM + Family + Crew and the whole Marketmanila community. :)

    May you all have a nice meal tonight or chomp on some ham and cheese sandwiches tomorrow morning with cocoa. :D

  49. Frequent lurker and big fan here. Thanks so much for a great blog. I don’t think you realize how much enjoyment and inspiration it gives a lot of us. Merry Christmas, and a happy new year to you and your family

  51. MM, I may not always leave a comment but your blog definitely starts my day. Merry Christmas to you and your dear family. Thank you fo this wonderful site that you have created, it has definitely created bridges of friendships around the world! More power to you!

  54. i’m one of the many “repeat lurkers” at this site, sometimes several times a day, it’s almost OC! you know , when you talked about “putong ube”,my gosh! it drove me nuts! so i went to the asian store right away and frantically searced for rice flour! (the store clerk insisted on mochiko, which is “sweet rice flour” , but isn’t it glutinous rice, which shouldn’t be used according to you)that’s how convincing this blog is, it inspired me to try cooking things that i thought i never could…Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!
    Keep blogging….

  55. Maligayang pasko po sa inyo MM and family and to everyone and a wonderful new year. I always read this blog though not posting any comment. Makes my day complete *smile*! :Thanks MM.

  60. merry christmas MM and family and all the readers!!! May you be safe and blessed in wherever corner of the world you are right now!!! here in chicago it’s like being in the north pole right now :)

  64. Your blog is a great read. Made leche flan for noche buena following your blog entry. Finally…something I made tastes edible… Now if I can only unmold flans without ruining them….=) Merry Christmas!

  65. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year MM and family!!!!!!!!!!!

    Cheers,

    cherry pie
    auckland, new zealand

  66. Merry Christmas! Thanks for allowing us to get a glimpse of you life esp. around the holidays. I think that’s what the holidays should be about–keeping traditions alive, sharing your blessings and being an inspiration to others.

  69. Lovely gingerbread house!Good work to The Teen!
    Merry Christmas to you MM and your family and crew!
    Merry Christmas everyone!

  70. Have a peaceful and joyous Christmas and all the best for the coming year….Merry Christmas to Marketman, Mrs. MM & The Teen! Merry Christmas to my fellow readers..GOD bless us all!

  72. Thank you for sharing, MM…you are an inspiration in many ways….from my family to yours, God Bless!

  78. Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa lahat!!! Nawa’y patuloy tayong gabayan at pagpalain sa bagong taon na darating.

  79. Happy Christmas MM and family from Downunder!

    You bring us so much joy and we want you to know you’re so very much loved and appreciated. God bless you and your wonderful family!

  82. I am also a lurker, MM. I enjoy your blog so much that I keep on coming back. Thank you for sharing.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

  84. greetings to SISTER, too—we were crazy enough to brave rockefeller center this afternoon…’crowded’ is an understatement…but the kids enjoyed it, inspite—i think of ‘sister’ when i go to the city

  86. great looking gingerbread house!!

    merry christmas and happy new year!!!!!

    miss ko na ang paskong pinoy :(

  89. To MM & family, Sister & fans of MM,
    Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon. Peace, joy, light, love, health, safety, financial security, God’s graces & blessings to you & all.

  91. better late than never…. that was a quick post indeed! Merry Christmas again… to the teen, you did a great job! love the house =)

  92. merry christmas to you and your family! im one of your “lurkers”, thank you so much for sharing your stories, recipes and et al… surfing the net is one of my past time after work and during holidays here, since there is nothing much to do and go here in dhaka…

    happy new year!

BLOG CATEGORIES

Categories

MARKETMAN ON INSTAGRAM

Subscribe To Updates

No spam, only notifications about new blog posts.

    • Related Posts

    ZUBUCHON ON FACEBOOK

    ZUBUCHON ON INSTAGRAM

    FRESH OFF THE OVEN

    POPULAR POSTS

    · Copyright © 2024. WordPress Website Design by Squeesome ·
    Instagram